KOF Training: Month 1

Well, XIII has only been out for two weeks, so I guess this technically isn't a month, but whatever.

Mostly just been grinding out HD combos in training mode like a real Mexican. I have Andy's Zaneiken -> Kuuhadan break loop down pat, as well as the confirms for it. Not terribly difficult stuff, mind you, but very useful.

For Shen I've just been practicing random HD combos, though I honestly don't think I'm even going to use most of them. I also am fundamentally against ending combos with explosion, but whatever.

I actually feel pretty silly over my troubles with Vice's HD combos because I entirely forgot that C shoulder combos into D Decide. Whoops. Well, now I know again and it's really piss easy.


I just finished playing 98 online for the first time in months. I played (and lost) about 40 games against Laban, which is typical fare whenever we play. While I know my sense of spacing is still weak in KOF (and bad habits carrying over from Guilty Gear isn't helping with that), I do feel that I am improving. I just need to play more, which isn't easy when you can't travel and your internet sucks.

After our matches, Laban told me to fundamentally change the way I approach my spacing game. This advice struck a chord with me because a large part of the reason KOF appealed to me when I first tried it last year was because it felt like a game that could change my fundamentals for the better. Of course, it would be much easier to adjust my playstyle if I knew exactly how my options were supposed to be used, but that's something I guess I'll have to work on.

It's times like this that I regret ever playing Guilty Gear. Had I started playing CVS2 when I first started playing fighting games instead, I'd not only have played against much better players, I'd be a much better player myself. Not to say that everything I've learned is fundamentally wrong, but unlearning 3.5 years of experience isn't an easy thing to do. But, if I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't be trying. Here's to hoping I can play a lot of KOF this month.